Energy Bill Seeks to Revive Nuclear Power

Associated Press ^ | June 9, 2003 | H. JOSEF HEBERT

[mvpel]

With respect to smaller, modular nuclear power plants, see Adams' Atomic Engines.

[biblewonk]

OH NO!

[Frank_Discussion]

Oh YEAH!

[John Jamieson]

It's way past time. Nuke is the cheapest, safest power there is. The only way to reduce oil consumption.

[biblewonk]

Oh noooooo! Wind power rules, nuke power drools.

[mvpel]

I guess you've never seen the massive visual pollution that wind power causes out here in California.

[biblewonk]

I love looking at windmills, I hate looking at nuclear power plants. The new ones are much bigger and work much better than most of the old ones in California.

[mvpel]

So how many acres of windmills are necessary to produce 1.5 gigawatts of base-load power?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There is no such thing as base-load power from windmills.

[hchutch]

This is step one in reducing the leverage that OPEC has over our MidEast policy.

[1Old Pro]

While critics grouse about federal handouts to an industry that should sink or swim on its own,

That would be fine if the industry wasn't severly hampered by nuisance regulations which are an anvil to builders and operators attempting to swim.

[newgeezer]

Keep pushing the envelope. You're a true pioneer on the conservative frontier.

[Andrewksu]

I am sure that windmills generate a reliable and abundant power supply to light this nation's cities, not. I think there are two solutions to our power needs, nuclear and solar. Solar has potential, but is not yet efficent enough. It can be used as a roofing surface and cover much of the residential daytime load. But, while solar matures, nuclear is the intelligent solution. I am not sure about subsidies, but we should reopen the door to nuclear power. you would think the greenies would be all for it, but they think cities can be powered with goodwill.

[Constantine XIII]

It makes me sick the way these jokers pretend to be free marketeers. Some of these guys helped create the unholy regulatory mess that crippled the nuclear industry in the first place.

[biblewonk]

I understand the power density issue with wind and also the intermittance. But I don't buy that nuclear waste is ok and containable and safe. I think God intentionally gave us tough decisions to make. We can burn finite resources as fast as we can, we can produce radioactive waste that haunts us for much longer that the world will last or we can use renewable energy with it's intermittance problems and greater grid demands. Or we pick some combination thereof.

[mvpel]

There is no such thing as base-load power from windmills.

My point exactly.

[gubamyster]

Also see:

Alternative Nuclear Power

and

Use the Force

[biblewonk]

I am not sure about subsidies, but we should reopen the door to nuclear power. you would think the greenies would be all for it, but they think cities can be powered with goodwill.

I think "greenies" and I agree on the idea that not every watt is sacred. We also agree that the cheapest way to produce power is not necessarily the smartest which is why pure capitalism isn't always the end all in policy making.

[ggekko]

The only way to cost effectively produce Hydrogen is as a by product of Nuclear power generation. If the eco-fascists were really interested in "sustainable" energy technology they would be supporting the nuclear-hydrogen combination with great enthusiasm.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Now, if you had a stoker-coal unit that could swing up and down to match the windmill production (when the wind stops blowing) then you might have something. But good luck getting a Detroit Stoker unit permitted these days.